Demand for the iPhone 5 remains strong as supply and yields continue to improve, but total iPad sales for the holiday quarter may prove lower than market watchers expect, as the iPad mini cannibalizes sales of the new fourth-generation iPad.

eBay, which is currently undergoing a rebranding an strategical shift to pit itself in direct competition with Amazon via a push towards more direct sales, is hosting a Cyber Monday sale offering 5% off iPads with Retina display and 18% off the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro ($989), as well as significant discounts on other consumer electronics like cameras, game systems and more.

Shoppers still in the market for an iPad mini WiFi or iPad mini WiFi + Cellular can skip the two week wait from Apple's online store when ordering from the company's partner retailers, one of which says it's ready to ship all iPad mini configurations to customers this week.

As part of Apple's Black Friday sale, the company has cut between $41-$61 off the new iPad with Retina display and $31 off 16GB iPad 2s. Meanwhile, Mac minis remain regularly priced and won't ship for two weeks, but MacMall has virtually the entire iPad mini product line in stock and ready to ship immediately.

Discount retailer Target is giving away $60 gift cards with each iPad with Retina display purchase, while Best Buy is offering up a $50 gift card of its own with each new iPod touch. You can also get a $100 iTunes Gift Card for $80.

U.S. carriers Sprint, AT&T and Verizon have announced they will begin selling Apple's newest 4G LTE iPads on Friday, though Sprint warned initial supply will be constrained as demand for the tablets continue to outstrip supply.

More than half of iPad mini buyers are new to iPad, and more bought it to replace a PC than an existing iPad says a new study that indicates Apple's latest iPad is still creating new demand rather that replacing the company's existing sales.

A head-to-head comparison of the Surface display with competing tablets has found Microsoft's tablet beats out similarly equipped screens, but can't take down the Retina display on Apple's 9.7-inch iPad.

For the first time since the original iPad was released in 2010, a U.S. wireless carrier will subsidize the price of Apple's iPad with a signed two-year agreement, bringing the tablet's sales structure more in line with the iPhone.

Apple's annual "MFi" conference is currently underway in Shenzhen, China, where the company has informed third-party accessory makers that they will need to meet its supplier code of conduct to sell officially licensed products.

Arguably the biggest surprise product debut from Apple in 2012 is the new fourth-generation iPad, a tablet that replaces its predecessor and doubles its performance after less than a year on the market.

Following the announcement that 3 million units were sold over the launch weekend for the iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad, market watchers reacted positively and said the numbers exceeded their expectations.

Apple on Thursday provided developers with a prerelease version of its forthcoming iOS 6.1 update, featuring improvements to its Maps application programming interface, and also issued a beta of Xcode 4.6.